Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-10-29
BACK IN ATHENS.
A JOURNEY OF CENTURIES MADE
BY AMERICAN TOURISTS.
The Wonderful Liquid Found in the Ruins
of the Temple of Minerva-Its Effects on
the Entire Party Which Partook of it
How the Old Athenians Lived and Acted.

l was exceedingly gratifed when 1 was in
vited to make one of a party of six to picnic
in Europe for the summer. The party
consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Clark, Miss Clark,
the sister, Mr.. and Mrs. Stephens and myself
Won Claim. Our objective point was
Athens primarily, and later a general stroll
through Greece, absorbing the classic air
and incidentally the classic knowledge.
The most felicitous winds and weather
favored our ocean passage; what with the
ordinary pastimes of sea travellers. we
passed the days with wonderful celebrity.
At last we reached Athens 1t was
here we proposed to do our picnick-
ing, here we would cast our tablecloth upon
the works of Phidias, and eat our canned
salmon in the grove of the Academy. The
sacred cellar of the Parthenon would re-
sound with our laughter and the seats of the
archons in the theatre of Dionysius would
serve as tables for our modern indigestibles
and we carried out our programme
tothe letter. We hardly realized the vengeance
of those antiques; we were innamed with the
knowledge of this century, with the astute-
ness of New York civilization we knew not
the deep shrewdness of the early Greek.
One day, the last it can be readily under
stood of our dissertations, we had seated our
selves upon the very spot where stood Mi
nerva centuries before, and there in the face
of the goddess, as it WERE we munched our
sandwiches opened up our boxes of sardines
and drank our ordinaire with the gusto of
American bon UiVantS. Clark always was a
meddler, and upon this occasion, meal in
hand, he walked about amid the mass of
fallen columns and the remains of Elgin
ruins seeking some memento of the
place. Suddenly ii cry of joy escaped him,
and hurrying toward us we saw him with
two bottles in his hand. "See here" he ex-
claimed as soon as he was sufficiently near for
us to hear him, GIVE a treasure here; you see
/ found one of those old safe deposit vaults
where the antique bloods kept their clerical
paraphernalia and 50 forth. You can bet |
opened 1t pretty quick, and l caught these
two bottles, some kind of classical Bass ale,
suppose. Well unwrap these rags and find
out what we've got" and he did so without
further ceremony
Clark spoke pure United States, it will be
remarked; there was not word Of Greek
about him.
When the wrappings were removed he
held in each hand a bombylios, or small
cdIUucIll Will u Dottolh
like that of ginger-ale bottle, each bearing
a label with an inscription upon it and each
contained fluid as we could tell by shaking.
Here, Stephens read this jargon to us"
said Clark, handing the jars over to the
scholar of the party.
Stephens figured over the wording some
moments, and finally, with laugh as hearty
as ever resounded through those ruins, he
said:
"Well, this is grand find can tell you
just listen to what it says: Whoever par
takes of this liquid five drops will be in
stantly transported back to the days of Peri
cles and the grandeur of Athens, signed
'Niccippe.' And the other label says, of
this fluid take five drops and one will be re-
stored to his natural self A great scheme
trip to old Athens free of expense. Who'll
go the five drops with me?"
"Pll go you," said Clark and in breath.
II want to see Pericles."
"Don't touch it, perhaps it may be poison"
said Mrs. Stephens, womanlike.
"Try it on that dog first and if he lives
through it we'll all take it," Miss Clark sug
gested. thought could detect an unwill-
ingness on her part to let me make the trip
alone.
Wecaught the lonesome dog that was smell
ling about us as unconscious of his ancient
destiny as he was of his supper. We opened
his mouth and carefully located five drops
on his tongue When we released him he
made no effort to run away-he stood and
looked at us; his eyes grew larger and
larger, his tail became shaggy, his body big
GER and very soon we recognized the pure
old Molassion dog of the days of Aspasia,
and he gamboled about and barked in his
ftth-century B. c. manner to his intense de-
light and our own as well.
We merely glanced at each other, nodded
our heads, grasped sandwich in our right
hands, while with the left we held our wine
glass into which had been dropped the pre-
cious fluid. AS one person we raised the
goblets to our lips, drank the contents and
in another instant
\
1t was Athens in her palmiest day; the
streets were crowded with the fashionables
Of the capital slaves carried gorgeous sun
shades to shield their mistresses from the
heat and the beaux twisted their waxen
mustaches and allowed their curled locks to
tangle in the winds unconfned by ribbon
or covered by hat. Some had their chi
tons tucked up an extra height through
their girdle because, forsooth, it show
cred in Corinth, and Corinth set the
fashion to certain club members of the
democratic city. 1t was some hours after
the time of the filling of the market and the
BARRIERS and perfumers shops were well
filled with the aristrocratic idlers who had
spent the previous evening and far into the
night at the house of Phorion where a
glorious feast had been spread in honor of
Cimon and undiluted wine had been spared
by neither host in its provision nor by guest
in its disposal. There was chatter and
an exchange of gossip as though there
shad been no meeting for days, and many
scandal found birth and strength
while its progenitor was in the hands of
the shaver and the curler. The air was
balmly and delightful, there was fragrance
in it that spoke of flowers and myrrh, the
noble danes walked abroad clad in raw silk
from Asia